¥.— 6.

Enclosure 1 in No. 87. The Seceetaky, Cunard Steamship Company (Limited), Liverpool, to the Agent-General for New Zealand, London. The Cunard Steamship Company (Limited), Secretary's Office, Liverpool, Sib,— 11th March, 1903. Your letter of the 7th instant, in relation to the connection at New York of the mails from New Zealand with this company's steamers, has now been submitted to my directors; and, in reply to the request contained therein that on occasions when the New Zealand mails do not reach New York until the arrival of the 2.55 p.m. train this company's Saturday steamer from New York may be detained for a few hours in order to avoid the otherwise inevitable late arrival of the mails in London, I am desired to say that times of sailings of this company's steamers from New York are fixed according to the tides, and that consequently it is not possible to comply with the request, as to miss the tide would mean a detention of twelve hours. The company's agents in New York have done, and will continue to do, everything possible to assist in making a connection with the mails, and we will send them a copy of this correspondence so that they may keep the matter before them. I am, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand. A. P. Meaens, Secretary.

Enclosure 2 in No. 87. The Secbetaby, General Post Office, London, to the Agent-General for New Zealand, London. Sib,— General Post Office, 8.C., 13th March, 1903. I am directed by the Postmaster-General to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 7th of this month, and to inform you that he has represented to the Cunard Steamship Company the desire of the New Zealand Government that the company's Homeward-bound packet leaving New York on Saturday may be detained a few hours whenever mails from New Zealand for this country are expected to reach New York from San Francisco by the train due at 2.55 p.m. I am, &c, The Agent-General for New Zealand. H. Buxton Fobman. •

No. 88. The Secretary, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Eesident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sir,— General Post Office, Wellington, 18th March, 1903. I have the honour to inform you that the Mail-agent by the R.M.S. " Sierra " reports as follows: "The San Francisco office reported the following mails short-shipped the day we left: New York to Auckland, one bag of newspapers; New York to Brisbane, one bag of newspapers; New York to Adelaide, one bag of newspapers ; Dublin to New Zealand, one bag of newspapers ; London to Honolulu, one bag of letters ; Cologne-Verviers to Apia, one bag. As it was uncertain when these mails would arrive in San Francisco, it was not deemed advisable to hold the steamer for them." I shall be glad if you will again communicate with the railway authorities about this failure, and point out the serious delay that arises through the omission to connect with the steamer. You will, perhaps, also be good enough to represent the matter to the Washington Post Office. I have, &c, W. Geay, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.

No. 89. The Seceetaby, General Post Office, Wellington, to the Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco. Sib,— General Post Office, Wellington, 14th April, 1903. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 17th February, in connection with the complaint from the agents at Auckland of the Oceanic Steamship Company that the " Sierra's" Homeward mails which arrived at San Francisco on the 6th October last were, through their detention at Chicago, received in London three days after due date. I note that you interviewed the Superintendent of the Railway Mail-service at San Francisco on the subject, who informed you that the failure to advise the Chicago office that the mails were en route lay with the railway officer at Omaha, and that, in order to avoid any further accident of the kind, special instructions had been issued to the Ogden office to notify both Omaha and Chicago as soon as the mails leave Ogden. I also observe that you had frequently impressed upon the Cunard Company the importance of the colonial mails connecting with its Saturday steamer from New York, and that you felt confident, from your experience of the company, that it would do whatever was practicable to insure the desired connection being regularly made. I have, &c, W. Geay, Secretary. H. Stephenson Smith, Esq., Resident Agent for New Zealand, San Francisco.

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